At the Liangzhou camp, under the command of Deputy General Duan Jiong, five thousand cavalrymen had gathered outside the camp, ready to set off.
"Target: Dongqiang, let's go!"
With a loud shout, the deputy general cracked his whip and took the lead heading towards the Eastern Qiang, followed closely by five thousand new recruits from the Western Liang.
"Boom!!"
The thunderous sound of horses' hooves echoed all around once again.
Duan Jiong, on the other hand, personally led 10,000 elite troops, leisurely following behind.
News of the Liangzhou army's deployment quickly spread among the people of Jincheng.
The Han people, having learned the whole story, cheered with joy. Although the matter had nothing to do with them, they could not hide their pride and sense of honor, because they had witnessed the Han army's tough stance against the Qiang and Hu tribes.
You think you can get away with anything by fleeing our borders after committing a crime here? If you can't get it back, then we'll bring it back. This is the pride of our great nation, and our people naturally share in that glory.
Even some Qiang chieftains who were unaware of the situation were extremely excited. They had not expected that the Han army would make such a big commotion in order to stand up for them.
In contrast, Bei Gong Boyu and Bian Zhang gathered together, their expressions quite complicated.
On the surface, it seems that Duan Jiong sent troops to stand up for them, but there was no need to mobilize an army of 15,000 cavalry. Judging from this posture, it was clearly a prelude to something.
Bei Gong Boyu and Bian Zhang in the study exchanged glances, neither knowing what to say, and both looked at Dian Xian beside them.
"Nephew, why do you think Duan Jiong is making such a fuss?" Bei Gong Boyu asked, a hint of worry in his expression.
Although Ma Yi now has nearly 30,000 soldiers under his command, they were all recently reorganized and gathered together. He didn't think Ma Yi would be a match for Duan Jiong.
Dian Xian frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "I can't figure out why either! To mobilize an army of 15,000 cavalry for a few hundred slaves is simply unheard of!"
"Could it be that Duan Jiong has sensed something and wants to strike first?" Bian Zhang's expression changed, and he suddenly said.
Dianxian shook his head. "It shouldn't be. Although Ma Yi caused instability in Dongqiang, he is still outwardly subservient to the Han. It's normal for the Dongqiang tribes to fight each other! If Duan Jiong really had noticed something, we wouldn't be able to stay here so peacefully right now!"
Bei Gong Boyu nodded and said in a deep voice, "That's right! Duan Jiong must have some other purpose!"
Dian Xian glanced at Bei Gong Boyu and Bian Zhang without showing any emotion, and then said:
"Regardless of Duan Jiong's purpose, we must speed up our actions. If Ma Yi clashes with Duan Jiong and suffers a defeat, it will undoubtedly be much more difficult for him to integrate the various Dongqiang tribes, which will be very detrimental to our plans!"
Bei Gong Boyu and Bian Zhang exchanged a glance and nodded.
Bei Gong Boyu looked at Bian Zhang, "Nephew, you're right! Our caravan should set off as soon as possible!"
Bian Zhang nodded. "I'll go back and arrange it right away!"
"Uncle, to prevent any accidents from happening to the caravan, I will personally lead the team this time!"
"Alright! My dear nephew, please be careful on your journey!"
Seeing that Dianxian had volunteered, Beigong Boyu had no doubts and readily agreed to Dianxian's request.
However, what they could never have imagined was that Duan Jiong's trip was simply for demonstration purposes, with no other intentions whatsoever; demanding slaves was merely a side effect.
That's often how things are; some self-proclaimed smart people always like to complicate things, thus adding a lot of trouble for themselves, and the final result is often full of mistakes.
After Bian Zhang and Dian Xian left, Bei Gong Boyu returned to his study. Not long after, an old servant from his household quietly entered the study.
"Owner!"
The old servant stood hunched over in front of Beigong Boyu, his expression full of respect.
Bei Gong Boyu looked at the old servant with a kind expression and asked softly, "Have you discovered anything?"
The old servant nodded, took a piece of white linen from his sleeve, and handed it to Beigong Boyu.
"This was discovered in his residence by someone sent by this old servant!"
"Is this a map of his residence?"
Upon seeing the pattern on the white linen, Bei Gong Boyu's expression changed.
The old servant nodded. "Yes! It was found in his backyard, behind a rockery!"
"So, their killing this time wasn't an accident, but something that someone had planned for a long time?" Bei Gong Boyu's expression changed, and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"That should be the case, because that place is far from the living quarters of his slaves, so there was no need for him to go there. I'm afraid there was another group of people who committed the crime that night!"
"Who could the other group be?"
Upon hearing the old servant's analysis, Bei Gong Boyu fell into deep thought. Only he and the old servant in front of him knew about his relationship with the murdered powerful man. Now that he had been assassinated in a premeditated manner, Bei Gong Boyu felt a sense of unease.
The old servant thought for a moment and then said, "Master, I believe that the man's murder was not an accident in this matter, but it was an accident for us!"
"Oh? You mean that group of people just randomly selected three families to plot against, and he unfortunately became one of their targets?"
Bei Gong Boyu was slightly taken aback, but immediately understood the meaning behind the old servant's words.
The old servant nodded and then said, "That's right. Moreover, according to the investigation, the Qiang slaves in those three families were all bought from the Baihu people. They used to be from the Shaodang tribe!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
